Liam Miller

Celtic

Miller joined Celtic in 1997 as a youth player, and made his professional league debut against Dundee United on 21 May 2000, as a 77th-minute substitute for fellow debutant Ryan McCann. His UEFA Cup debut came against Luxembourg-based club Jeunesse Esch on 24 August 2000 in the second leg of the qualifying round. He came close to scoring in the 64th minute of the 7–0 win (11–0 aggregate). During his time at Celtic Park, he had been on a six-month loan spell with Danish football club AGF Aarhus during the 2001–02 season, making 18 appearances without scoring a goal. They considered signing him permanently for £300,000. Miller scored his first professional goal on 30 July 2003 in the first leg of the second qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League, coming on as a late substitute to complete a 4–0 win at Lithuania's Kaunas. Two months later in the group stage, he scored against Lyon, and subsequently manager Martin O'Neill offered him a long-term contract, attempting to keep Miller at the club. His first Scottish Premier League goals came in a 5–0 win over Hearts on 18 October, and on 5 November he scored a goal and was given a standing ovation when he was substituted in a 3–1 European win over Anderlecht at Celtic Park. Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson attended the game to scout Anderlecht's Vincent Kompany, but instead was convinced to approach Miller. Miller was on the pitch as a substitute when Celtic secured the 2003–04 Scottish Premier…

Miller was part of the Irish squad that won the UEFA European Under-16 Football Championship in 1998. He made nine appearances for the Republic of Ireland at under-16 level. He then progressed to the Ireland under-21 team. He was fielded in a game against Albania in 2003 despite having been suspended after receiving two yellow cards in UEFA European Under-21 Football Championship games against Switzerland and Albania. The Football Association of Ireland admitted the mistake and apologised to UEFA. Miller's debut for the senior team came on 31 March 2004 against Czech Republic in a 2–1 win at Lansdowne Road; he came on as a substitute for Matt Holland. His first goal for Ireland came in a 3–0 win over Sweden on 1 March 2006 where he made a run and a 25-yard shot rifled into the top of the net. Despite Miller being without a club during the summer of 2009, manager Giovanni Trapattoni continued to select him for the Ireland squad. Miller later commented that "I am very grateful to the manager. He didn't need to pick me in the squad but he showed faith in me and I'm delighted with that".

Miller was born in Cork, Ireland, to Billy Miller, a Scot who was a Celtic fan. He grew up in Ovens, County Cork, and attended Coachford College. As a boy, Miller also played Gaelic games for his hometown club Éire Óg and represented Cork GAA at youth level. In a web chat in 2007, Miller said that his family was his largest influence in football, and that Martin O'Neill and Sir Alex Ferguson were also influential to his career.

Miller and his wife Clare had three children together – two sons and a daughter.